“Make a wish!” is something we teach our children whenever birthdays are celebrated, “shooting stars” streak across the sky, dandelion seeds are blown into the wind, and holiday wishbones are pulled apart. We wouldn’t spoil their fun by adding, “It is extremely doubtful that your wish will come true.” If you ask six-year-old Silas Dolieslager of Morrison, IL, he will emphatically state that they do!
Silas, nine-year-old brother Aiden, and parents Mitch Dolieslager and Angela Reamer flew to Orlando, FL, on Sunday, October 27, 2013, to celebrate the gift of an eight-day trip to the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World. The Make-A-Wish Illinois Foundation made his wish come true.
This trip was precisely what Silas had wished for during his long treatment for leukemia. The kindergartener is now in remission. A routine checkup is scheduled for December at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the pediatric research and treatment center, in Memphis, TN, where medical magic happens.
Wish fulfillment began for Silas with arrival of a shiny, Cadillac stretch limousine. A driver waited to assist the family on the first leg of their adventure, as photos and video recorded this special departure.
Each wore a blue, short-sleeve t-shirt with the Make-A-Wish logo, perfect for their Florida arrival at the Disney property, “Give a Kid the World” villa. Shown in the front row, left-to-right, are Aiden and Silas Dolieslager. In the back row are grandmother Monica Gibler (on hand to wish the family well), Angela Reamer, and Mitch Dolieslager.
At 2:05 p.m., the driver from Act II Limousine, Coal Valley, IL, shut the doors and transported the joyous family to the airport in Chicago, IL.
Make-A-Wish America states, “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.”
There are other children–and their families–who truly need to believe that wishes come true. You have the power to make magic happen. Click here to make a donation to Make-A-Wish America.